Math Strategic Framework Activity Report

Objective: Leverage collaboration to enhance operations and improve employee experience 

• New feature in Online Academic Tools, used by over 200 campus users, significantly increases efficiency of degree audits for advisors 

• Collaboration with Co-operative and Experiential Education to streamline the co-op sequence change process for students and staff university-wide 

• Expanded Capacity Building Circles include Engineering and Science 

• Collaboration with campus colleagues and Math AIF readers to implement more holistic admission considerations 

• Collaboration with Information Systems and Technology to establish and enhance an incoming exchange workflow form adopted by all Faculties 

• Olympics-focused communications content led by Math, including all Faculties 

• Enhanced Vena with graduate studies reports to further reduce duplication and increase collaborative data validation  

• Math Advancement collaboration with Innovation, Equity, and Co-op Offices yielded increased funding for research, entrepreneurship, experiential learning and wellbeing  

• Over a dozen undergraduate process improvements to reduce workload, minimize error risk and improve student and employee experience 

Objective: Identify and address EDI barriers to student and employee participation  

• Recruitment initiatives to increase the number of Black applicants  

• MMT scholarships for Indigenous teachers  

• Research Bridge Award  

• First Women in Mathematics (WiM) Navigating Your Career Conference   

• Inaugural Women in Computer Science (WiCS) Tech Crawl  

• Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) Mathematician Mosaic celebrated the contributions of diverse mathematicians 

• Applied Mathematics EDI Committee guide to support clarity in supervisory expectations  

• Black History trivia night co-hosted with Engineering and the UW Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers  

• New focus on underrepresented voices in storytelling (e.g., Waterloo Math’s ‘Hidden Figures’)  

• WiM Directed Reading Program engaged 250 women+ undergraduates 

• WiCS Con for UWaterloo and high school students  

• Attendance at WiM research talks and networking activities totalled about 1,200 

Objective: Support the well-being of students and employees 

• Canada Foundation for Innovation funding application for the energy efficient Green Room server room in Math 4 

• Have your say collects feedback on health and well-being supports  

• Peer Pair Program connects first-year t0 upper-year undergraduates 

• Video and social media content highlighting student resources  

• International student transition support series (video 1 | video 2) 

• Enhanced support for co-op students through increased outreach to at-risk students and expanded FAQs  

• New FAQs for students interested in international exchange 

• Enhanced consistency of training for new advisors and of guidelines for instructors 

Objective: Highlight the value of fundamental research and scholarship 

• Media training for researchers, including those working in fundamental areas 

• Increased awareness of the disciplinary context of mathematics research impact, leveraging an American Mathematical Society resource 

• The Math behind Olympic Sports series incorporated fundamental research concepts in accessible ways 

• Math Marvels series highlighted fundamental research  

• Promotion of fundamental research breakthroughs through widely disseminated content 

• WiM-spearheaded inaugural Ontario Graduate Mathematics Conference  

Objective: Facilitate teaching development and innovation

• Enhanced undergraduate assessment practices 

Objective: Enhance graduate student teaching and teaching assistant experiences

• Enhanced TA pool proctor process, leveraging the Math TA Contract database  

• WiM Directed Reading Program provided 100 graduate students experience in mentoring undergraduate students 

• MATH 900  

• Math Instructional Support Coordinators (ISCs) enhance TA management in large multi-section core and service courses 

Objective: Realize a consistently high standard of graduate student supervision 

• Applied Mathematics discussion guide supports clarity in expectations for students and supervisors 

Objective: Foster interdisciplinary research and education  

• New governance model for cross-Faculty credentials  

• Inaugural Ontario Graduate Mathematics Conference facilitated interdisciplinary connections 

• WiM Directed Reading Program facilitates connections across disciplines 

Objective: Expand the international reach of the Faculty of Mathematics 

• High-quality digital media content

• Increases to top-end undergraduate scholarships

• International recruitment visits and outreach workshops reached over 18,000 students and stakeholders in 450 schools in 20 countries 

• Virtual recruitment events, including an information session in Mandarin, engaged over 3,500 participants from 36 countries 

• CEMC partnerships in Ghana, Rwanda and Kenya for educator development and to conduct student problem solving workshops 

• Series of editorials by CEMC Director in Indian media 

• CEMC Canadian Informatics Workshop to identify students to send to the European Girls Olympiad in Informatics  

• CEMC Mathematician Mosaic received over 80 submissions from around the globe